Press Releases, 12/13/2013 | Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Foreign Minister Tuomioja to EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting

Press release 259/2013
13 December 2013

The EU Foreign Affairs Council will convene in Brussels on 16 December. Finland’s representative in the meeting will be Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. The topics on the meeting agenda include the EU Eastern Partnership and the situation of Ukraine in particular, Russia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, the Central African Republic, Myanmar, the Middle East peace process, and Western Balkans.

With respect to the EU Eastern Partnership, the Foreign Affairs Council will discuss the Summit held in Vilnius on 28–29 November, and the development of the situation in Ukraine after the summit in particular.

As regards Iran, the Council will discuss the agreement reached between the E3+3 group and Iran in Geneva on 24 November and prospects for further negotiations on the nuclear programme.

The agenda covers a wide range of issues associated with the Middle East. In relation to Syria, the focus will be on the political process and the humanitarian situation in particular. As regards Lebanon, the Council will discuss responses to the refugee situation caused by the crisis in Syria and the security situation. The Foreign Ministers will also take stock of the current situation of the Middle East peace process.

The Foreign Ministers will discuss the EU measures aimed at preventing spreading of the crisis in Central African Republic. In relation to Myanmar, the topics to be discussed include the country’s constitutional reform and the results of the EU–Myanmar Task Force meeting held in November. Regarding Western Balkans, the Foreign Affairs Council intends to discuss the situation of the dialogue aimed at normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo in particular.

The final event of the Foreign Affairs Council will be a lunch meeting, where the EU Foreign Ministers will have Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as their guest. The Ministers will debate bilateral issues between the EU and Russia, and international issues of current interest.